Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, the creators of Our Planet, spoke of the show’s importance, one that retains enormous relevance in an age of increased climate change awareness.
Fothergill said, “More than anything else Our Planet was about bio-diversity.”
Scholey said, “Lots of things are changing in our natural world, and it was really important that this series reflected the scale of what is happening.”
The talk was interspersed with clips from the series showing the impact of climate change on a variety of animals, particularly orangutans, walruses, birds and polar bears.
The pair spoke of the extraordinary efforts of their crew to capture footage for the series, while Alastair Fothergill told a story of a close escape when filming polar bears.
Narrated by David Attenborough, the show demonstrates the damaging implications of climate change, but the pair admitted that there are signs of hope as exemplified by the great whale’s revival. They also provided a timely reminder of nature’s importance.
Scholey said, “There are real signs of hope.”
Fothergill said, “If this series is going to do one thing it’s going to make sure that everybody, from people in the street to the politicians that rule our lives, realise that nature is no longer a ‘nice to have’ it’s a ‘must have’.”
If you are interested in Nature, also see Ben Goldfarb's talk at 7 pm,1 June. If you like watching Hay Festival events digitally, please sign up to the Hay Player for more from the world’s greatest thinkers.
Pictured: Alastair Fothergill
Photo by Sam Hardwick